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Oct 22, 2019 16:54:36 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2019 16:54:36 GMT -5
this is the dawning of the rest of our lives Castelia hadn't changed much since Elinda had last visited the place - alive, always awake, constantly bustling with pedestrians and pulsing with a constant neon heartbeat whether it was day or night. Truthfully speaking she had never really disliked that - while the trainer had always been more partial to the wilderness and rural outskirts in part due to her own upbringing, the city had its own unique charm and offerings that you couldn't find anywhere else. That said, it hadn't been for that reason alone that she'd traveled all the way out there from Hoenn. Unova was just one of many places where she had friends from years if not decades past, a time where she had been much more active and constantly on the move. The trip to Castelia had been made with the intent of humoring an old friend's request, something Elinda found herself regretting almost immediately. Not that the feeling was at all new - it might've just been that she was getting older, but Elinda found regrets to be a dime a dozen these days. In essence the request had been more or less what she'd expected, a job offering at the Battle Company. It wasn't hard to imagine how it had happened as it wasn't so long ago that Elinda had been acting as an exhibition trainer on the Devon Corporation's behalf to make ends meet, and she'd left that posting more or less around the time they'd asked her to attend a number of events in Unova. Of course they'd found someone to replace her, but it wasn't at all unsurprising that a few of the people she'd worked with back then had wound up at the Battle Company when they'd moved on, a place that more or less hired people to do exactly what she'd been doing before. Elinda had no idea why but apparently someone felt the inclination to check up on what she was doing, and had noticed she'd returned to Lilycove and was working part time at the Safari Zone out on Route 120... but otherwise retired. Elinda wasn't sure if it was out of self interest or ultimately altruism but her name had apparently crossed someone else's desk and they'd asked her to drop by. Which she'd done... as a courtesy. Frankly it wasn't like she was doing anything else, and while part of the woman felt a pang of regret turning down a job that would ask her to do only what she enjoyed the fact of the matter was she liked retirement. It suited her very well - the freedom to go where she wanted when she wanted, and to do what she wanted to do when she wanted to do it. Familial expenses had eaten a fair chunk of her earnings but Elinda still had a comfortably little retirement fund put away, and clever investments on her husband's part ensured that they'd grown it enough to live in relative comfort for a while. All the same, though, that little nagging part of her mind would continue to prod her thoughts with "What ifs". So she did what she usually did to distract herself. Clad in her usual black pants, shirt and boots with it all heavily obscured by her crimson duster coat, the older trainer sat with her legs crossed, leaning back atop a metal surface warmed by sun exposure. Sitting rock still beneath her, Metagross and trainer alike were silent as they simply watched a number of the local trainers within Castelia square, both pairs of eyes completely focused on the younger individuals as they rotated battle pairs on an empty patch of the cobblestone square. @white |
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Oct 22, 2019 23:43:58 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2019 23:43:58 GMT -5
[nospaces] [attr="class","runrun"] [attr="class","runrun2"] [attr="class","runruncirc"] [attr="class","runrunimg"]  [attr="class","runrunlyric"]
dreaming of[break]black & white
[attr="class","runrunpost"]
Truthfully, she has never been a fan of huge crowds. Especially in such a big city... People brushing against her, the push and shove of the sea of people. Her own personal hell, perhaps, although she did this one to herself.[break][break]
She didn't have to come here, she thinks while merging into the crowd and doing her best to fend off the ongoing waves of anxiety. She could have stayed home and laid in bed, read some article about celebrities or work on her next big production. There's still so much to do for the agency and yet, she finds herself focusing on the only goal she has set for herself.[break][break]
Get stronger.[break][break]
White hadn't had a single day to dedicate to just honing and training her newly acquired skills as a Pokemon trainer. It's been nonstop work at the agency, day after day, and while she appreciates the challenges and the budding success, sometimes she just wants to work on other things. Sure, the agency is her dream first and foremost but... Something is coming and soon and... She isn't ready in the slightest. Black is, as he always is. Never one to slack on his dreams or give up on the training schedule he has set for himself, it's no surprise he's constantly running laps around her. She could beat him in organization and direction, sure, but he has her beat in sheer willpower and strength.[break][break]
Naturally, one can only assume she's jealous of her best friend and naturally they'd be correct.[break][break]
She loathes the fact that she's jealous of him, incredibly so. It frustrates her to absolutely no end that no matter what she does to combat it, the feeling just will not go away. Perhaps it's her own insecurities honing in on his skills and exploiting them that causes such a negative feeling to resonate in her chest. It wouldn't be the first time and certainly wouldn't be the last. Even with knowing the cause, the feeling of utter incompetence doesn't fade and neither does the jealousy. Perhaps the two go hand in hand. She feels weak, insecure, less than any of her peers and for what? So she can fight against some mysterious group that she isn't even sure actually exists in order to feel like she's actually on par with the rest of them? She hadn't even become a Pokemon trainer until two years ago. The rest of the Pokedex Holders have been training beside their teams for the majority of their lives, raised on the thrill of battling and growing stronger with each obstacle thrown in their path. She isn't like them, that much is obvious.[break][break]
White heaves a gentle sigh, adjusting her signature baseball cap. Today is to be dedicated to training, even if it completely destroys her. She'll make up for her lack of confidence in herself, in her skills. She just... might need a little push or twelve. That's why she finds herself en route to the Battle Company, to test herself and just how much more she needs to grow in order to be on par with the rest.[break][break]
Her thoughts occupy her for most of the walk, constantly churning out new ideas and new ways to grow. A few new ideas for the agency get thrown into the mix and she swears she'll write them down once she arrives but that never happens for her attention is drawn elsewhere.[break][break]
Trainers battle in the square, facing off against each other on cobblestone arenas. Her attention is snagged as quickly as it was diverted from her thoughts and before she knows it, she steps to the sidelines. Blue eyes refusing to look away, too busy studying the ongoing battles to notice much else. To her left, a woman and her Metagross also overlook the matches and before she knows it, she's mumbling her thoughts out into the open air, soft and in awe of the sight before her. "It's incredible how they are so confident in themselves," she muses. "Could learn a thing or two from that."
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Oct 23, 2019 0:20:21 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2019 0:20:21 GMT -5
this is the dawning of the rest of our lives They weren't bad. But as Elinda lounged atop her partner, the Iron Leg Pokemon having settled his body and drawn in his limbs to both relax in turn and take up the smallest possible footprint as the crowds grew towards the afternoon rush, she was... well, bored. Most of the trainers that were taking to the field were plenty competent in their own right, there was no denying that. They knew their type match ups, most seemed to be relatively aware of their opponent's capabilities, and the trainers themselves were getting creative enough with their commands, but... Well, that was about it. They were bog standard. Their kind was a dime a dozen, and while a few of them were probably capable of giving the local Gym Leader a run for their money there was nothing special among their lot, nothing that drew her eye. Nor Metagross', for that matter. The Steel type was very nearly as old as she was and had spent practically its entire life by her side, fighting every opponent they could during the climb up the various Leagues, and by this point he was arguably a better judge of character than she was. And yet he showed nothing - just a cold, calculating gaze as he was likely identifying every mistake made and every possible opening one could exploit, no doubt running full blown simulations within his gestalt mind. Well, if nothing else this was exactly what Elinda had needed to wash away her earlier pangs of regret. Fact was that if she'd taken that job at the Battle Company these were probably exactly the people she'd have been battling, and there was no fun to be had in that. Evidently that opinion wasn't shared by everyone, though. While a good number of people were giving Metagross a healthy berth, some had dared to venture a bit closer and one such individual spoke words that Elinda was actually able to hear over the racket. "No point if its without reason. A lot of them would lose it real fast against Gym certified trainers, they know they're hitting inside their weight class." Elinda responded almost without thinking, not even bothering to stifle a wide yawn. As she replied, though, the trainer would turn an eye away from the fight to look towards the girl that had spoken up. Her opinion wasn't necessarily wrong, though. Confidence took you a long way, and if someone saw how convinced you were that you would win a fight... well, that did a lot to shake the will of some opponents, and would throw them off their game for the rest of the match. That said, there was a clear line between well earned confidence and foolhardy ignorance. "You come by to watch these fights often?" Elinda asked after a moment spent appraising the other trainer. It wasn't difficult to spot another of her kind, but... something was off. The kid's clothes were frankly a little too clean for someone who was traveling around and challenging the Gym circuit, but something about her spoke of at least some degree of experience - most people might not have picked up on it but the girl had seen a scrap or two, and not the nice, clean fights they were looking at right now. @white |
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Nov 1, 2019 23:22:37 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2019 23:22:37 GMT -5
[nospaces] [attr="class","runrun"] [attr="class","runrun2"] [attr="class","runruncirc"] [attr="class","runrunimg"] [attr="class","runrunlyric"]
dreaming of[break]black & white
[attr="class","runrunpost"]
She hadn't expected anyone to pay her much attention, much less the woman and her Metagross. Truthfully, she had just been speaking aloud, voicing her own thoughts as she always does. A habit formed from long days spent at the agency when her thoughts just couldn't make proper sense unless mumbled into the open spaces of her office. It bubbles over into everything she does now, whether it is training or even being a spectator on the sidelines. Sometimes she wishes she could stop it, halt the words from tumbling from her lips. It'd save her a lot of embarrassment as... Well, she's still a novice to this whole training thing and half the time she's just plain wrong when it comes to her observations.
[break][break]
Today seems to be no different, as the blonde woman begins to speak. A yawn punctuates her words but White understands what she says all the same. A gentle nod is the only response the brunette gives, eyes roaming over the battlefields. Her words hold merit, something about her just screaming experience. Perhaps it's the Metagross, strong and stoic beneath her. The Steel type looks strong, stronger than anything White's ever seen. Black's Pokemon might hold a small candle to this metallic beast but one look at it and she knows he might not stand a chance.
[break][break]
She gulps, the weight of this realization almost crushing. If Black couldn't stand a chance against this woman then what would become of her? She's a toddler compared to him, completely new and inexperienced. Hell, these young trainers could probably even whoop her ass. The woman's words echo in her mind as she stares at the matches unfolding before them. They wouldn't stand a chance against a gym leader, their confidence stemming from the knowledge that they're all at the same level. Is that how she feels too, then, when she trains? God, what is she thinking? Does she expect to just miraculously get stronger and get closer to Black's level without actually facing anyone? Perhaps she should just stick to her agency after all...
[break][break]
The woman speaks again and White rips blue eyes away from the matches to fully gaze at the woman beside her. She looks every bit as strong and experienced as White had suspected, eyes hardened with years of training under her belt. If she thought the Metagross was impressive, she should have only guessed that its trainer was even better. Her cheeks flare with embarrassment under the woman's scrutiny, hands fidgeting as she adjusts her baseball cap and signature ponytail. Should she really explain her entire reason for being here, for seeking out trainers who actually know what they're doing? Ugh, it's so embarrassing. She's not just starting out on her journey and she has a decent team under her belt but how does one explain to a total stranger that they've never given being a Pokemon trainer much thought until a year or two ago?
[break][break]
"Um," she begins, uncertain of how to word this correctly. She settles upon a vague answer, half honest and half shy of explaining her insecurities for the world to hear. "Not usually. Today, I had wanted to see what this Battle Company was all about and I got a little distracted with these matches." She bows then, awkward and apologetic as she adds, "I'm sorry if I disturbed you!"
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Nov 8, 2019 14:07:30 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2019 14:07:30 GMT -5
this is the dawning of the rest of our lives The girl's behavior was a bit odd, frankly. At least it was from where Elinda sat, but then again she wasn't one to talk when it came to most of her own habits - shame and embarrassment had never really been things she experienced, and it was always an alien thing to watch when someone else appeared to express them. Part of the reason being that Elinda couldn't figure out the why of it, and it seemed out of place enough to pull her attention away from the younger trainers duking it out in the cleared city square. Something she'd said? Elinda didn't think so. Even by her standards the questions had been fairly standard and innocent ones, basic small talk. And what was there to be embarrassed about, Elinda's own words aside? Far as she could tell the kid simply harbored a bit of interest in the sport. There was nothing at all wrong with that - personally the blond would've thought it'd have been stranger not to express a bit of interest. Especially if you had some experience with it yourself as she was assuming the kid did, you could learn a lot from watching how other people conducted themselves. Only so much information came out of books, and it was hardly realistic to expect a trainer to have more than just a small handful of Pokemon they were able to devote time to. By extension the only way to learn about how other Pokemon fought was often to watch other trainers who had those foreign species, and that was knowledge you could apply to future battles. Or just enjoy for its own sake. Unless you had something you'd seen a thousand times before on your hands. What really threw Elinda off her game, however, was when the kid suddenly turned to bow and apologize following her answer to the older trainer's earlier question. When was the last time anyone had ever apologized to Elinda for anything? And what the hell for? Even her own kids had rarely ever had such an occasion to do so, and it was hardly like they were the best behaved individuals she'd ever met. "Wh- hey, no. None of that. You're fine. Conversation'll honestly be welcome, I was falling asleep here. Don't do that." Elinda said, the alien nature of the circumstance working rather well to wake the woman up as she shifted to sit in a more upright stance atop Metagross - the Pokemon itself finally taking notice of the younger trainer in response to Elinda's actions, the Iron Leg Pokemon turning slightly to rest one dinnerplate sized red eye on the brunette. @white |
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![](https://i.imgur.com/SFj1oMf.png"")
